The River and The Rose
by Possibilities94
Summary: After finding a High Gallifreyan engraving on the console of the TARDIS, the Eleventh Doctor and River end up on a beach-with unexpected visitors.


** A/N: A little sap, a little fluff, a lot of feels. Takes place after the "Wedding of River Song" in the Doctor's timeline. Please read and review.**

**Inspired by the links on my profile.**

The Doctor hovered over the TARDIS's control board, frantically pulling levers and turning switches. He rushed around the circular center, muttering to himself and trying to ignore the know-it-all voice in his head saying he should have replaced the neuron relativity disassembler sooner.

"Hello, sweetie," came the soft playful voice of his wife. River leaned against the entrance to the TARDIS's main control room, droplets from her freshly washed curls dripped onto the smooth skin of her neck. She smelled like cinnamon and cloves; gods dammit she was the ultimate distraction.

"Not now, River," the Doctor said, "The neuron relativity disassembler is acting up again."

"Did you try exchanging the proton assembly cord charges?" River asked dropping the seductive tone and joining him at the control board.

"Yes, right after allowing the connectivity relay channel to gain full capacity."

"Well then it should be fine."

"I think it might have something to do with a supernova that is dying in our relative vicinity," the Doctor grimaced.

"Oh Doctor you _know_ the flares from supernovas wreak havoc on the Tardis's ability to land properly!"

"I know River, but apparently this blasted thing has a mind of her own today." The Doctor ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Doctor what's this?" River ran her fingers over a section of metal close to the core of the TARDIS.

"What's what?"

"This, it's High Gallifreyan." River ran her fingers over the etching. "It's your name and my name and….." She looked up at him, "the word for rose."

"Impossible," the Time Lord said as he came closer to investigate. Leaning forward, he also touched the engraving.

Suddenly, the ship lurched to the right and threw both man and wife against the wall. The TARDIS slammed through the vortex and tossed them around like clothes in a dryer. Sparks and steam exploded from almost every orifice of the TARDIS. The Doctor grabbed River around the waist and held onto the railing with all of his strength, desperately willing the TARDIS to land safely.

After a few more moments of chaos, everything went still. River gave the Doctor's hand a squeeze and the couple tentatively rose to their feet.

"Where do you suppose we are?" River asked.

"Only one way to find out," grinned her husband as he bounded over to the door.

He threw the door open and leaped outside, hands on his hips and a grin on his face. With his brown coat flapping behind him, he looked to River like a young boy playing Superman.

"A beach! Oh, you sexy thing, you really have outdone yourself this time!" He gave the TARDIS a loving pat on the door and then grabbed River's hand and exclaimed, "Come along Mrs. Doctor Pond! We'll explore this beach and hopefully this will be a bit more romantic than the time the TARDIS landed us on the beach in the middle of a Sontaran invasion. God what a miserable anniversary that was-"

"Doctor?"

The Doctor froze.

No.

Impossible.

"It is you isn't it? Oh my God. It's you. I mean it's the TARDIS and it's not you, you must've regenerated, your face is SO different but it is you and…." She reached out and touched his arm. "Do you even remember me? Has it been so long for you?"

He turned around and faced the woman he never thought to see again. He had put her safely in the alternate universe and had expected her to live happily there. Away from him, but safe and happy. With another him.

"It's me, Doctor. It's Rose."

He turned to see blonde woman in her late thirties, a hesitant smile on her face and hazel eyes so striking they seemed to dance their way into his soul.

"Oh Doctor, it's so lovely to see you!" Rose threw her arms around him like a giddy school girl reunited with her best friend after the summer holidays. "I can't believe you're back! How did you even get here? I mean I thought it was impossible! But apparently not; who's this with you? A new companion?"

"I'm River Song. The Doctor's wife." River said coolly. "Who are you?"

"Rose Tyler," Rose replied with a grin. "The Doctor's wife."

River did not take after her mother in many ways. She liked to think she was more grounded like Rory. But one trait she did inherit from Amy was the Scottish temper when anyone encroached on her man. Along with the not so attractive ruddy face that went with said temper.

Seeing the blotchy red spread like wild fire across River's face, the Doctor quickly intervened. "Now, River darling, you're not thinking clearly. The engraving? Remember the engraving? My name, your name and Rose's name. The supernova mixed with the neuron relativity disassemble acting up, must have allowed the TARDIS to travel to an alternate universe-specifically _this _alternate universe to see Rose. The TARDIS must have brought us here across universes for….well I don't know exactly why but she did! Wha-la! Now we're in an alternate universe where the other me is living happily I assume…."glancing at Rose to affirm, she nodded, "…in this universe where no one is interfering with our marriage, or our universe, there just happens to be another lady who happens to be married to me. Sort of. I guess."

Smiling anxiously, the Doctor watched as River's face gradually returned to its normal color. She took a deep breath and let it out through gritted teeth. "Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff?"

"The wobbliest," The Doctor grinned. Taking River's hand and turning to Rose he asked, "Where is the other me? It's very odd to be calling him the Doctor when I'm the Doctor."

"We've taken to calling him David now. Couldn't hold down a job when everyone thought he had a hoodlum nickname. Thought he was in a gang or somfin'." Rose whispered conspiratorially. Oddly enough, the Doctor was reminded of a younger Jackie.

"What's he doing now then?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, he's working down in a little electronics shop-"

"Love the little shops."

"-and he should be along in a mo'."

"Mummy! Mummy! You're never gonna believe what we found down the pier!" A bouncing bitty brunette bolted up to Rose and threw her arms around her. "It was a lovely great shell and oh! It had the loveliest colors, all blues and pinks and browns. Daddy said we could bring it but it had a CRAB in it Mummy! A CRAB! Gosh it was terrifying, I thought it was gonna pinch Daddy's nose right off!"

The little girl stopped suddenly when she realized there were two people present who were definitely NOT her family.

"Who are they?"

"Lily, these are Mummy's friends. The Doctor and River. Say hello dear."

"Hullo," said Lily shortly.

The Doctor couldn't take his eyes off of the little girl. He hadn't seen his own flesh and blood, excluding Jenny, for nearly a millennium. She had his tenth incarnation's dark hair but everything else was Rose. Hazel eyes, pouty lips; the child would grow up to be beautiful.

It was painful sometimes that he and River would never be able have children. River's own conception inside the TARDIS had affected her so that if she ever did conceive a child, the child would almost instantly be miscarried due to time travel and her mixed Time Lord-Human DNA. River's DNA was incompatible with any species. Even the Doctor. Heartbreaking though it was, the Doctor had loved River through the terrible news.

Breaking the Doctor out of his reprieve, his human self, or rather, David, came around the corner of the TARDIS. "My word it's you!" David exclaimed, taking his spectacles out of his shirt pocket and placing them on his nose. "Oh I'd know that old phone box anywhere! Welcome Doctor! You are most welcome. And who is…"

David let out a small gasp.

"You're the woman from the library. The archaeologist."

"Sorry?" River looked at her Doctor, confused.

"Spoilers, dear." The Doctor replied, choosing to look at Lily, who being bored with the adults, had begun to draw in the sand.

"Spoilers, indeed," whispered David.

All of a sudden the TARDIS's doors flew open and the engines roared back to life. Sensing that this might be the only way back to their dimension, River ran to stabilize the engines while the Doctor said goodbye to his friend.

Turning to look at her, the Doctor asked only one thing, "Are you happy here?"

Rose smiled and without hesitation replied. "Yes."

The Doctor grinned. "Fantastic."

xXx

As the TARDIS was jerked back into it's own universe, River turned to the Doctor. Her husband, her best friend, her Doctor.

"Why do you think the TARDIS brought us there? To see Rose and David I mean?"

The Doctor was ponderous for a moment. I believe she wanted to see her friend again. The three most important people in her life, so to speak. Myself, you, and Rose. She loves us all dearly, I feel. She wanted us to be together, at least once. To know the other two are content."

Almost as an afterthought to himself, he added, "To say goodbye."

Squeezing River's hand, he smiled. And it was a heart-wrenching smile, one full of sadness and memories, hopes and dreams, laughter and tears. That one smile, and her Doctor bared his soul to her once more.

"My dear, I have been promising you we could go see the Singing Towers of Darillium for some time now. Get your coat, River Song, you've got a hot date."


End file.
